Giants of limited over cricket reveal their plans for Abu Dhabi T10 starting on Thursday

 By K.R. Nayar

Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Johnson Charles, and Dwayne Bravo, who are among the best in limited over cricket and have time and again won matches for their teams through their stupendous performances, are here. They revealed their plans for the fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 set to commence from Thursday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Chris Gayle 

Starting from Chris Gayle, the biggest six-hitter in limited over cricket, Kieron Pollard, the world’s most aggressive and sought after allrounder, belligerent opener and wicket-keeper Johnson Charles, and match-winner Dwayne Bravo, all of them spoke about how they plan to beat their opponents in the Abu Dhabi T10 starting on Thursday, January 28, 2021.
Gayle, who enthralled everybody during the recent Indian Premier League (IPL), is here to win matches for Team Abu Dhabi and is aiming high to hit sixes at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium. Candidly admitting that his plan would be to hit those shots over the boundary, he said: “Can't wait to hit some big shots in the Abu Dhabi T10. I really liked it because it was just powerhouse hitting from ball one last time.”

Gayle enjoys playing on the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium’s wicket. In the IPL, he had played a whirlwind knock of 99 off just 63 balls with eight sixes and six boundaries on this ground. “The Abu Dhabi wicket is a better one to bat on now, so more runs can be scored. So it’s good luck to the bowlers,” remarked Gayle.

Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard, who will spearhead Deccan Gladiators' campaign in this event, loves the challenge of the T10 format. This allrounder who has scored 10,583 runs and bagged 293 wickets in the T20 format, said: “The thrill and excitement of T10 are limitless It’s not all about 'see the ball hit the ball'. You need to be able to think on your feet, anticipate and execute plans without pausing too much. It suits me, to be honest, and my experience stands me in good stead when reading the opposition.”

Johnson Charles 

The opener to watch out for in this tournament will be Bangla Tigers’ aggressive opener, Johnson Charles. He is hoping to put his team on top through his batting. “I am always looking to come on top, so it's going to be a challenge and I am going to take it head-on.”
The muscular Charles always like to produce a good show, and he is here after a good performance in the recent Lanka Premier League. It was his outstanding man of the match-winning knock of 76 in the semifinal that put Jaffna Stallions in the final. Charles helped Stallions emerge champions taking two catches as wicketkeeper and scoring 26 runs with six boundaries! “I am looking to give a good show of myself. It's always interesting to have good competition My number one priority this season would be to put my team in a good position."

Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo, known as the Champion due to his famous album 'Champion', is the man who lifted the T10 trophy last year as captain of the Maratha Arabians team. This season he leads Delhi Bulls, and this champion allrounder wants to prove that at 37 he is still good against the best players.  “I will use this as an opportunity to challenge myself because it’s not a bowler-friendly tournament, and you come up against the best players in the world. So I hope to work on my skills and challenge myself and see how I am still able to compete at the highest level.”

So the big action commences on Thursday with Maratha Arabians taking on Northern Warriors in the first match from 4 pm, followed by Pune Devils vs Deccan Gladiators at 6.15 pm, and Delhi Bulls playing Bangla Tigers at 8.30 pm.